New Beginnings
by empty8
Summary: Higher powers decide that it is time to step into Angel's life, and they send a very unusual messenger.
1. Prologue

A New Deal

Prologue

"You have got to be kidding me." The girl looked up from the picture her boss had given her.

"Unfortunately no, we have let them deal with it on their own for awhile, hoping that they could sort it out themselves. Now we see that we have to step in. Michael will explain everything that you need to know."

Seeing that she was dismissed the girl walked into the hallway where Michael was waiting for her.

"Can you believe this?" She handed him the file and the picture. "Out of all the cases they could have given me I this/I is the one they chose. When they beware his wrath they aren't kidding." She muttered.

"Look on the bright side, at least they are finding a use for your special skills." Michael offered.

She glared at him, moving aside so people could past them in the hallway. "Is that what they're calling a total disregard for authority now?"

"Funny," Michael raised his hand indicating that she should precede him."Come there is a body about to become available, but we have to hurry."

"Yeah, yeah, don't rush me."They walked into a room with a large portal and watched the scene that played in front of them.There was a man and a woman fighting on a bridge.He was yelling at her and she was crying.

"Tell me that isn't it."

"Unfortunate yes, it is young enough to survive the process, and it is in the right location." Michael smiled at her apologetically.

"Goody, lets get this over with."She started to walk threw the portal as the man pushed the woman over the side of the bridge into the water.

Anna felt herself fall, as Mike, her boyfriend, shoved her over the side.Her heart leapt into her throat and she knew that this was it.Everyone had warned her and he had finally killed her. She winced as she felt the shock of the cold water slamming into her body and it stunned her, causing her to slowly sink.

When she finally opened her eyes she expected to see darkness, but instead there was a golden light all around her.

"It's alright," a soft voice whispered to her, "your safe now."Perhaps it was the lack of oxygen but she could have sworn that something reached out and brushed her face.She didn't have much time to think about it however because she started to feel groggy and the light got brighter.Then there was no pain, no water, no struggling for air, she was weightless.There was a man standing above her holding out his hand.

"Welcome," he said smiling.She smiled back and took his hand.

In the water Anna opened her eyes only it wasn't Anna anymore, not really.She knew she needed to get to the surface or the body would die. Kicking out she swam upwards, gasping when she broke the surface.She was on dry land in short order, working the kinks out of her joints before she climbed back up to the road.

She cursed all the way up the raven.The boss did this on purpose, she was sure of it. The man who had pushed her was gone, and from the looks of it the highway was abandoned, so she started walking.

Her cloths were wet and heavy, and her shoes were squishy, not to mention the whole ensemble was unattractive.First thing she was gonna do was to get some cloths and a haircut. If she was gonna be walking around in this body, it was gonna be attractive while she was in control!

She looked up at a highway marker as she came to it, Los Angeles – 30 miles.

This Angelus was gonna catch it in the ass when she found him.


	2. Chapter 1

Anna hit LA sometime around dawn the next day, and it was sufficient to say that her mood hadn't improved.If it were up to her, she would stake the bastard and get the hell off of earth before break fast was over, but it wasn't up to her.Not yet.

Inside the city limits she took a cab to the business district where she sat in a rented hotel room until the shops opened.She needed cloths, something proficient but attractive.The boss always said that vanity was her downfall, but first, she needed a shower.No human she had ever heard of was going to let someone who looked like a drowned rat into their store to try on cloths.

In the bathroom Anna found what were supposed to be towels, but in her opinion weren't even bit enough to pass for washcloths and were so threadbare they wouldn't even make good rags. 

"This trip keeps getting better and better," she muttered as she stepped under the hot water, hissing as it hit the scratches on her body.Why anyone would want to be human was beyond her.

She emptied the little shampoo bottle and lathered up her long dark hair, sighing as she felt the soap break apart the clumps of dirt stuck in it, allowing it to move freely again.She used one of the minuscule towels as a washcloth and scrubbed her skin until it was pink and glowing.

Feeling a little bit better when she came out of the shower she glanced over at the bed at the only cloths she had to wear until she got new ones.The jeans were dirty and torn, the sneakers old and word, and the shirt was tired and stained.She wasn't even going to look at the underwear, which she had thrown out promptly after taking them off.She didn't really want to put those cloths on now that she was clean, but she had nothing else.

Stifling a groan she slipped the stiff cloths onto her body, shifting, trying to find a position where the seam of the jeans didn't ride up her crotch, but finally gave up with an exasperated sigh.

She walked outside and walked down the block to a clothing store, and started sifting through the racks to find something appropriate.

"Umm, can I help you?" Anna turned to see a store clerk staring at her oddly.

"Yeah, I'm in town for the day, and as you can see, I had a mishap.I need to get an outfit that will wear well, and will fit in almost any situation." Anna knew it was wrong to lie, but she could only imagine the look the clerk would give her if she said she was an angel who was here in a dead woman's body to find a vampire who was given his soul and it was her job to stop him before he lost it or kill him if he did.Yeah, that would go over swimmingly.

"Ok, well, how much do you have?" the clerk was still skeptical. Anna pulled out a wad of bills and a credit card, handing it to the clerk.After sorting through it the clerk smiled at her brightly.

"Right this way," she indicated towards the dressing rooms.

An hour later Anna emerged, clad in black leather pants, a rhinestone tank top, and a pair of chunky boots.In her hand she carried a supply of underwear to stop the uncomfortable crotch riding she had experiences earlier, a few different shirts, and some socks.

She was equipped now all she had to do was find Angelus.This is where she was stumped.Where did a vampire who was in danger of losing his soul hangout?Better yet, how could she discover this without raising suspicion?She doubted demon bar and pub was listed in the yellow pages.

She headed back to the hotel and deposited her bags on the bed; it looked like she was going to have to do this the hard way.By bar hopping.

She looked in the mirror and ran a brush through her hair, studying her face.Her eyes were large and almond shaped, tilted slightly at the corners, but the color wasn't remarkable at a shade of light gray.Her skin had an olive hue, and her nose was long and straight.If she had to guess it would be that Anna had been of Greek descent. She applied a coat of lip-gloss and winked at herself as she turned to head out the door, grabbing a denim coat in case it got cold later.

Maybe the boss was helping her out, because she found an appropriate bar rather quickly, and it was a karaoke bar nonetheless.It was packed wall to wall with demons, monsters, and other kinds of things that go bump in the night.Surely one of them had to know where Angelus was right?

"Heh, your new here aren't you?"Anna turned to see a green-faced demon sitting next to her.

"Yeah, just got into town."

He looked at her for a moment, as if something wasn't quite right. "Don't I know you from somewhere?" He narrowed his eyes studying her.

"I doubt it."

"Hmm.So what brings you to my humble establishment?"

"Actually I'm looking for someone."

"Aren't we all sweety, aren't we all."

"I am looking for a particular person, maybe you can help me."

He set his drink on the counter, turning his full attention to her. "Maybe, maybe not."

"I'm looking for a guy named Angelus."The man next to her spit out his drink onto a passing customer.

"I take it you know him?"

"No, what makes you say that?"

Anna narrowed her eyes. Dirty cloths she could take, crappy towels too, what she couldn't take was lippy demons that wouldn't give up what they knew. She reached across the counter and grabbed him.

"Look you little weasel," she grabbed his polyester shirt lapels, "I'm not like your other cronies, I _will_ hurt you.So tell me where Angelus is."

"Whoa, whoa, heh there, slow down a minute.I said I didn't know where he is _right now_, but I know where he may be later."

"Spill it, or I will."

"He stays in this old hotel on Sunset, that's all I know.He has a couple a friends who might know where he is, they have a supernatural investigative agency." He smoothed his jacket as she pushed him back into his chair.

"Thanks," Anna smiled at him, "you have a nice place here." She put a couple of dollars on the table and walked out of the front door.

"Sunset huh?You have a sick sense of humor Angelus."She walked to the street and hailed a cab.

Angel woke up, rubbing his face.He looked over and Darla was lying next to him.Damn, what had he done?Suddenly the night before came rushing back to him.

"Damn." He muttered softly, getting up quietly so as to not disturb the sleeping vampire next to him, he quickly dressed and was out the door.

Not wanting to go home, he walked through the park, not knowing where to go from here.After last night's revelations, that this world was the home base, he didn't know how to fight it. Strangely, he had found that hell was easier to battle when it was just a concept.Now it was all too real.

Then there was his friends, what was he supposed to do about them?It was even more dangerous to have them around him now, but it was also the only way he could keep them safe.

With a curse he ran his hand through his hair, heading back to the hotel.He needed to get a change of cloths and a shower before he went out hunting.

He opened the front door and walked past the blinking answering machine without a glance.He didn't need to listen to more messages from Cordelia telling him what an ass he was.He already knew it.

Anna moved silently after him, mirroring his steps from room to room.He hadn't changed much, the hair was shorter, the shoulders perhaps more sloped, but he still had the stance of a predator.She watched as he walked down the hallway and into a back room, she knew she couldn't follow him in there, it wouldn't be wise to follow him on his own turf, instead she went to the answering machine he had passed and pressed the button.

"Angel it's Cordelia, look, I know you don't care or anything, but I thought you might like to know that there was an accident, and we're at the hospital."

In his bedroom, Angel paused, removing the towel from his head; he could have sworn he had just heard Cordelia's voice.Setting the towel down he moved towards the door and cracked it open.

". . .hospital."Yes, that was defiantly Cordelia.He moved quickly down the hallway. What in the hell was she doing here?

Anna heard movement and moved quickly towards a door that lead to a downstairs room.She needed to keep the element of surprise, she moved behind the staircase crouching down as she listened for Angel's progress through the house.

Upstairs Angel moved through the lobby, he saw no one around, and he didn't smell Cordy anywhere, but there was another scent, he couldn't place it, is smelt. . .warm? That didn't make sense, but that was the only way to describe it. He moved past the office and that is when he saw the answering machine wasn't blinking anymore and he froze.Someone, or something was here.He felt his brow change shape and his teeth lengthen as he growled into the darkened lobby.

He moved towards the artillery room, throwing open the door. Whoever had invaded his home was going to be sorry.He walked slowly down the stairs, scanning the area, however stakes, swords, and other various weapons of destruction were all he saw.

Anna watching his decent from beneath the stairway. Shit, he knew she was here and he didn't look pleased.She stood absolutely still in the shadows of the staircase as he moved around the room.Slowly he moved back up the stairway to search the rest of the house, and she would have sighed if her body still required breath.She heard the front door close as he left, but it was no matter.She wouldn't need to track him down again, she knew he had friends, the only thing she needed to do was find them, and the rest would be simple.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Clutching the rolodex card in her hand Anna crouched outside of the office building, watching the thin brunette walking around inside.She had too assume that this was Cordelia, as no one else had entered or left the building since she had gotten there at 7 am this morning, and it was now close to 8 at night.

Anna rubbed her eyes; she didn't remember missions being this boring.Her ass hurt, her legs ached, and the only thing she had learned was that this Courtney likes Chinese food.

Anna's attention was brought back to what was occurring in the office as she saw Courtney hang up the receiver of the phone and switch the light off as she headed for the office door.Getting up and stretching her limbs Anna shadowed her as she walked down the street.

"Stupid girl," she muttered, "don't you know what kind of nasties are lurking in the streets of L.A.?"Movement to in the alley to the right caught Anna's eyes.She picked up her pace so she was closer to Cordelia, who was unaware of the possible danger nearby.

Courtney stifled a yawn as she hurried towards the bus stop. It was another uneventful day at work, ever since they had parted ways with the resident vampire, business had been unbearably slow. All she wanted to do now was to go home, take a shower, and curl up and watch a movie.A strangle feeling came over her as she walked.Someone was watching her, was it Angel? Slightly bolstered by the idea she picked up her pace, scanning the area around her.

But then she heard something growl to her right, and that wasn't an Angel growl, that was a you're my dinner growl, and as far as she knew Angel hadn't gotten all 'grr' on them.

"Hello?" She peered into the alley, to her dismay she saw a pair of yellow eyes staring back at her from the darkness.

"Hellloooo my prettyyy." It hissed back, "are you reaaaddyy to playyyy with meee?"

"Uh, no thanks, maybe later." She turned to run, but she never got the chance as it jumped out of the alley and locked a powerful hand around her forearm.It turned to stair her in the face, and she saw that it had an elongated nose, scaly skin, and deep-set angled eyes.The hand that was locked around her upper arm hand long sharp claws designed for ripping into its prey.

"Nooo, stayyy." It hissed, a serpentine tongue whisking in a and out of it's mouth.

"Ewww," Cordelia whined as the tongue brushed against her cheek, "what a way to go."She was reaching for the long knife she kept in her purse.

"Heh, ugly!"Both turned to look at a petite blond woman standing a few feet away. "Didn't anyone teach you not to play with your food?"

Unlike Cordelia, the demon knew what Anna was on sight and hissed at her."Nooo!Leave her to meee, she is none of your concern."Cordelia raised a brow, _that_ hiss sounding very much like a demon whine.

"Not happening, now you know the rules, back off or be vanquished. Your choice." Anna watched the demon, who seemed fearsome on sight but was really nothing more than a vulture of the nether realms.She saw the demon's eyes flash defiantly and knew that it wasn't going to be smart enough to heed her advice and leave.

True to her assumption the demon pushed Cordelia aside and rushed Anna, who without much trouble moved to the side and tripped the demon, using its awkward gait against it.As it fell she jumped onto it's back, locking an arm around its neck, pulling its head off of the ground.

"I warned you." She said simply before she broke the demon's neck with a sickening snap and dropped it's head limply onto the ground.Brushing her hands off she turned to Cordelia who was kneeling where she fell and watching Anna uneasily.

Anna held out her hand, "Well?Are you coming?"

Cordelia didn't move, instead she studied to woman in front of her.She didn't appear to be a vampire, her skin wasn't pale enough, but yet she moved faster than a human, and she had known the demon had been there and how to deal with it.

"Are you a good guy or a bad guy?"

Anna smiled wryly, "I guess that depends who you are."

"That's not very reassuring." Cordelia gave Anna a disgusted look.

Anna shrugged, "well I don't really care if reassured.I just care if you know what I want to know."

"Oh.Well why should I tell you anything?"

Anna looked at the demon, "well, I saved your butt, so you owe me. Plus, I know where a hundred more just like that one are who would love to know where _you_ are."Anna wouldn't really give the mortal up to the demons, that was defiantly against the rules, however letting her think that she would wasn't.

"Well, that's a good a reason as any," Cordelia took Anna's proffered hand grudgingly and allowed her to pull her to her feet."We can go somewhere to talk, there's a diner down the street, why don't we go there?"

Cordelia sat across from the strange blond woman in the diner, and she wasn't sure that weird was even an accurate description.She hadn't touched the food placed in front of her or drank any of the coffee she ordered, she just fired questions at her like it was an inquisition.

"So you haven't had contact with Angel in a while then?" Anna asked her, using the fork to push the runny eggs around on her plate.

"Like I told you the first three times, NO.We haven't seen him since his darling Darla came back and he fired us all."She looked at Anna's plate with a look of disgust. "Are you gonna eat that or just play with it?"

Anna gave the brunette a deadpan look, "Would you want to eat it?"

"No," she tucked her hair behind her ear, "but I wouldn't have ordered it in the first place."

"Yeah, well there are probably a lot of things that I do that you never would."She dropped the fork with a wet plop in the middle of her plate.

"Ohh-kay then.Don't want to go _there_, so if you don't mind, thanks for saving me and all, but I need to get home."

"Yeah, one more thing.Where is Darla now?"

Cordelia thought for a second, "She's probably with the one handed wonder." At Anna's blank stare she added, "One of the lawyers who was trying to kill Angel.Find him and you can probably find Darla."

Cordelia turned to walk away, but stopped to add, "I hope you kill the bitch, she deserves it."

Anna gave a chilling smile, "I'll put it on my list of things to do."

Cordelia turned and quickly left the diner, Anna might be one of the good guys, but she had some major creepiness going on in there.She was defiantly not someone she would want to meet in a dark alley, well again anyway.On the way home she made a mental note to talk to her partners about Anna tomorrow.

Inside the diner, Anna was leaving money on the table for the untouched food.She thought it was a waste, but she needed to appear at least semi-normal, although she wasn't sure that egg like substance was normal under any circumstances.

She left the diner and walked down the street, heading in the directions of the law office.She wanted to find Darla so she could get to Angel, and apparently the only way to do so was to find this so called one hand wonder.She could feel the beginning of a headache forming between her eyes as she thought about all of the possible complications that could occur.

In heaven, some of the other angels were watching her.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Michael asked Gabrielle.

"She is going to find Angel isn't she, what is the worst that can happen?" He smiled at his friend, who just stared back in horror.

"You do realize that the last time she was sent out on a mission the Spanish inquisition happened?"

Gabrielle pondered this for a moment before replying, "Surely your mistaken, she couldn't be responsible for the _whole_ inquisition."

"One would think that, but they would be wrong!She thought it would be the easiest way to get rid of all the demons that had invaded the mortal population!"Michael's arms were now waving wildly above his head."Do you know how many of us it took to straighten _that_ mess out?Since then she has had to go through extensive training but I don't think that she is ready to play by the rules."

Gabrielle stopped, "You mean to tell me we sent a loose cannon in to deal with a situation that has the apocalypse riding on it?"

Michael sighed, glad that his companion finally saw the light, "yes."

"Well whose bright idea was that?"

"The chiefs."

"Oh.Well he must know what he's doing right?"

"That's what I said the first time, look what happened there."Michael grumbled, turning back to Anna's image.They watched anxiously as she crept into the law offices in search of Darla.


End file.
